Pipe quartering device



Nov. 21, 1950 D. E. MULLIN 2,531,077

PIPE QUARTERING DEVICE Filed 001;. 1.9, 1946 .1 gwuwvtow Patented Nov. 21, i950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIPE QUARTERING DEVICE Douglas E. Mullin, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application October 19, 1946, Serial No. 704,442

' 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a quartering device, and while the inventionmight have various applications, it particularly is designed for use in quartering pipe. In fabricating pipe of various kinds it is the common practice to quarter said pipe or to make certain marks on said pipe spaced 90 degrees apart circumferentially of said pipe. As commonly carried out, this quartering operation is slow and tedious. One common method is to wrap a strip of paper or other flexible material about the pipe, then fold this into quarter portions and then use the meeting lines of these portions and the ends of the strip to mark the pipe, the strip being placed around the pipe.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device by means of which the quartering operation can be very easily and quickly performed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device comprising a member formed as an angle at its lower side, which member can be placed on a pipe to extend longitudinally thereof and engage the pipe along spaced lines, said member preferably including a dial and also including a pointer adapted to swing to vertical position by gravity.

It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide a quartering device comprising a member formed on its lower side as an angle, said member being adapted to be placed on a pipe and extend longitudinally thereof, a dial carried at the top and adjacent one end of said member and being graduated circumferentially, a pointer cooperating with said dial and mounted to swing to vertical position by gravity, means also being preferably carried by said member for marking said pipe.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in end elevation of the device;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation as seen from the right of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation showing the pipe in vertical cross section and showing the device in a different position in dotted lines; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, a device is shown comprising a, member IIi. Member I is formed as an angle and at its lower side has sides or surfaces IIIa diverging at an angle, which angle preferably is substantially degrees. Member I!) is adapted to be placed on the exterior of a pipe and to extend longitudinally thereof so that said sides or surfaces Iila will engage said pipe along spaced lines. A dial member II is provided, and while this could be variously located, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated it is shown as disposed at the top of and adjacent one end of member ID. Dial II is graduated circumferentially and has marks or lines Ila thereon which will designate certain degrees, and while the number of lines IIa can be varied, said lines are shown as indicating 90 degree intervals and 45 degree intervals. Member II is shown as of cylindrical or cup-like form and the graduations Ila are placed on the vertical wall at the inside of said cup or cylinder. Preferably graduations I lb align circumferentially with the graduations IIa, are formed on the cylindrical portion of member I I and comprise small notches or grooves extending parallel to the axis of said cylinder. A shaft I2 is secured in member II centrally thereof and while this could be variously formed, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated it is shown as a screw having one end threaded into the vertical wall of member I I and having a rounded grooved head. A hand or pointer I3 has a hub journaled on shaft I2 and freely swingable on said'shaft so that it will swing to a vertical position by gravity. Hand I3 is shown as having a rather enlarged head or lower portion so as to be somewhat weighted. The vertical center line of dial II is substantially coincident with the vertical bisector of the angle in member ID.

Adjacent the other end of member I0 and extending upwardly therefrom is a tube I4. As shown in Fig. 4, tube I4 has disposed therein a compression coiled spring I5 hearing at its upper end against a plug I6 threaded into the top of tube I4 and having a slotted upper end. At its lower end spring I5 engages a collar I8a formed on a punch I8, which above said collar extends through said spring and through a bore in plug I6 so as to normally have its upper end disposed some distance above the top of plug I6. Below collar I8a punch I8 extends through a bore in member I0, said punch having a sharpened lower end. The axis of punch I8 is disposed substantially in the bisecting plane of the angle in member Ill.

In operation when it is desired to quarter a pipe, member I0 will be placed on said pipe at the outside thereof and will extend longitudinally of th pipe. Member ID will be positioned so that pointer [3 extends downwardly with its lower pointed end in alignment with the graduations i la and l lb at the bottom of member I I. Punch I8 will be pushed upwardly in tube [4 and compress spring l5 when member I!) is placed on the pipe. When pointer I3 is positioned as above stated, the operator will strike the top of punch 18 a blow with a hammer so that said punch will make a mark on the pipe. Member ID will now be swung or moved to the side of the pipe, as indicated in Fig. 3, and positioned so that pointer l3 aligns with the graduations at the bottom of member II. Punch l8 will again be struck and another mark made on the pipe. Member ID will then be moved to position at the bottom of the pipe and then to a position at the left-hand of the pipe, as seen in Fig. 3. The operation described will be repeated and both of these subsequent positions and marks made on the pipe. The pipe has now been quartered or provided with marks at 90 degree intervals. A pencil or other instrument can be guided by and moved along the edges of angle ii to draw or make lines lengthwise of the pipe. Such lines are often desired.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a simple and highly efficient device for quickly, easily and eflficiently quartering a pipe. The member 12 can be quickly moved to its various positions and indicator l3 quickly assumes its Vertical position so that the quartering operation is quite rapid. The pipe is quartered with great accuracy. A great deal of time and labor is saved by use of the device. It has heretofore been proposed to use a devic having an adjustable level therein. Such a device however is very slow in operation. The present device is a great improvement in the art. The device of course will be suitably finished to have a pleasing appearance. The device has been amply demonstrated in actual practice and found to be very, successful and efficient.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A quartering device for a pipe having in combination, an elongated member of much greater length than width adapted to extend quite a distance longitudinally of a pipe and formed as an angle on its lower side, the sides of said angle being adapted to engage said pipe along spaced lines, a disc-like member upstanding at one end of said device and having a projecting boss at its center, said disk-like member having a cylindrical flange extending thereabout directed toward said end of said device, a pointer adapted to swing by gravity pivoted to said boss centrally of said member within said flange, said member having circumferentially spaced graduations thereon and said flange having circumferentially spaced notches therein alined with said graduations, a tube upstanding from the opposite end of said elongated member disposed centrally transversely thereof and having a vertical cylindrical bore therein, a punch slidable in said bore having its upper end disposed above said tube, and resilient means holding said punch in its upper position but permitting downward movement thereof whenstruck to mark said pipe.

DOUGLAS E. MULLIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 141,088 Boyce May 5, 1945 49,553 Safiord et al Aug. 22, 1865 191,586 Hatch June 5, 1877 548,329 Stemmerich Oct. 22, 1895 657,443 Newton sept. 4, 1900 742,077 Sovelius Oct. 20, 1903 751,763 Wagor Feb. 9, 1904 948,523 Perkins Feb. 8,1910 1,378,287 Shaylor May 17, 1921 

